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Arizona has its sprawling metropolises to be sure, but in a state this big, rugged and spare, secluded camping destinations aren’t hard to come by. From the dissected tablelands of the Colorado Plateau to the hot flats of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, campers can sample some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country – and unwind from the relentless stresses of urban and suburban environments.

Northern Arizona

Most of northern Arizona belongs to the high tables and vast canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau. Grand Canyon National Park, which protects one of the planet’s most stunning landscapes, can be busy on weekends and holidays during peak season, but the park is large and rugged, and more secluded corners aren’t hard to find. Backpackers can trek about seven miles down the North Kaibab Trail from the North Rim to camp at Cottonwood Campground near Bright Angel Creek. The appropriately named Stateline Campground, meanwhile, lies on the Utah-Arizona line at the northwestern edge of 294,000-acre Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on the Paria Plateau – part of the Grand Staircase, a procession of staggered, cliff-walled plateaus – and includes three drive-in campsites and one walk-in. It provides a good perch for exploring the impressive terrain and local wildlife, which includes reintroduced California condors.

Central Arizona

The central portion of Arizona contains some spectacular and remote scenery, much of it associated with the so-called Transition Zone buckling down from the Colorado Plateau to the Basin and Range. The Mogollon Rim and White Mountains are major landmarks of this geological frontier. Higher-elevation campgrounds here offer seclusion and mountain cool in the summer. For example, the Alpine Divide Campground in the Apache National Forest offers 12 quiet sites near Escudilla Mountain in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona, up at 7,000 feet. It includes a pair of vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings, grills and seasonal dumpsters, but no potable water or electrical hookups. On the other side of the state near Kingman, the Bureau of Land Management manages the far-flung Packsaddle and Windy Point recreation sites, where you can bed down at a campsite tucked amid pinyon-juniper scrub at 6,000 feet in the Cerbat Mountains. Like Alpine Divide, the campground here has vault toilets but no water.

Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona in the Basin-and-Range country is a land of hot lowland deserts and “sky-island” mountain ranges. In the huge Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, campers seeking isolated communion with Sonoran Desert scenery can settle in at Alamo Canyon Campground, which includes four campsites, vault toilets, grills and picnic tables. Farther east in the Coronado National Forest, you can pitch out in a riparian wood of hefty old sycamores and walnuts in the Santa Catalina Mountains at the Peppersauce Campground, which includes water and can be difficult to reach by two-wheel-drive vehicles in the event of heavy rains or snow.

Considerations

When staying in far-flung campgrounds, take the same precautions you would when exploring any remote place. Many primitive facilities lack potable water, so bring a plentiful supply of your own. Be sure, too, that you have enough food and gasoline, as well as provisions for dealing with flat tires and other vehicle contingencies. Do not assume your belongings are safe if left unsecured in camp for the day; ward against theft by keeping valuables locked in your car. It’s essential – and ethical – to keep a clean camp to avoid attracting black bears, coyotes and other scavengers. Never leave food unattended, and dispose of garbage in designated facilities or pack it out.

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About the Author

Ethan Shaw is a writer and naturalist living in Oregon. He has written extensively on outdoor recreation, ecology and earth science for outlets such as Backpacker Magazine, the Bureau of Land Management and Atlas Obscura. Shaw holds a Bachelor of Science in wildlife ecology and a graduate certificate in geographic information systems from the University of Wisconsin.